David Gorden
Times are hard for any freelance worker right now. But, like other artists, David Gorden has made light of this situation by expanding his inventory and stepping into territories he’s never been. Gorden is a full time artist who has his hands in a few different jars at the moment. With his own studio called “4 Sight Studios’’, he has released a visual novel called Kwame Hightower: The Man with No Name, along with other merchandise featuring his work.
Since the first wave of lockdowns, a new market for Gorden has opened up. He was hesitant about getting into the coloring book industry since it’s something he’s never done. But, with people staying home, some have turned to coloring books to de-stress and pass the time. His recent coloring book, “Black Love Chronicles’’, is inspired by old romantic comic book covers but instead, features Black characters. With Valentine’s day just around the corner, the timing is perfect for Gorden’s love inspired coloring book.
Before the pandemic of 2020, Gorden was employed full time as an Editor, writer, and character designer. The entertainment industry, more than nearly any other industry, abruptly shut down and has yet to recover. So it was no surprise to Gordon when his day job ended. When the entertainment industry suffers, every industry that supports it sufferers too. Luckily, Gorden was prepared. He’s had years of experience as an multi disciplined artist that understands the business of art and how to monetize it. Tapping into the business side of entrepreneurship can help artists excel their career and make more money when necessary. Gorden suggests that if artists do go to college, they should go for business. What fuels your art cannot be taught in college. Your work ethic cannot be caught in college. Doing work in a timely fashion is one of the most important aspects of freelancing. Someone who graduated from an expensive, prestigious college could flake out and miss a huge opportunity that lands into the lap of a hustler.
Afro-Futurism
Gorden is filling a niche with drawing predominantly black characters in his work. His stories are completely afro futurism. This genre is one that’s just now becoming mainstream. With ease, Gorden comes up with stories infusing the reality of Black life with space and technology. We went through a coloring book together which is filled with characters created by Gorden. My favorites were, The Pope and Prime Minister, who tried to stray away from a life of drug related crime only to get kidnapped by aliens and taken to a different galaxy, forced to be drug smugglers in order to save people.
Art in Session
With usually hosting classes at the Science Center, Gorden taught a class for the first time in months to a limited number of students at the Magic House, MADE for Kids. I was so excited to host an event like this here. MADE is a hidden gem, right off Delmar in the heart of the growing MakerSpace district. Gorden has the perfect energy to teach kids. I loved that this class was oriented around the kid’s creativity and collaboration. They first discussed the importance of storytelling that goes into creating a comic book cover. They developed a hero and villain with powers and pinned them against each other in an action shot for their cover. Gorden noted, this class got to drawing quick, which made teaching a lot easier. He was a natural with teaching young kids. They thought he was hilarious. I imagine a kid’s drawing skills could really improve with a weekly course. Gorden gave insight as to what it’s like drawing characters for actual clients. This information is necessary to hear because many don’t even know these are obtainable careers.
